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https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1471
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1471
19 Jan 2023
 | 19 Jan 2023

A pulse-decay method for low permeability analyses of granular rock media

Tao Zhang, Qinhong Hu, Behzad Ghanbarian, Derek Elsworth, and Zhiming Lu

Abstract. Nano-darcy level permeability measurements of porous media, such as nano-porous mudrocks, are only practically feasible with gas invasion methods into granular-sized samples with short diffusion lengths and thereby reduced experimental duration; however, these methods lack rigorous solutions and standardized experimental procedures. For the first time, we resolve this by providing an integrated technique (termed as gas permeability technique) with coupled theoretical development, experimental procedures, and data interpretation workflow. Three exact mathematical solutions for transient and slightly compressible spherical flow, along with their asymptotic solutions, are developed for early- and late-time responses. Critically, one late-time solution is for an ultra-small gas-invadable volume, important for a wide range of practical usages. Developed as applicable to different sample characteristics (permeability, porosity, and mass) in relation to the storage capacity of experimental systems, these three solutions are evaluated from essential considerations of error difference between exact and approximate solutions, optimal experimental conditions, and experimental demonstration of mudstone and molecular-sieve samples. Moreover, a practical workflow of solution selection and data reduction to determine permeability is presented by considering samples with different permeability and porosity under various granular sizes. Overall, this work establishes a rigorous, theory-based, rapid, and versatile gas permeability measurement technique for tight media at sub-nano darcy levels.

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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

20 Dec 2023
A pulse-decay method for low (matrix) permeability analyses of granular rock media
Tao Zhang, Qinhong Hu, Behzad Ghanbarian, Derek Elsworth, and Zhiming Lu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 4453–4465, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-4453-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-4453-2023, 2023
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The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.

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The utilities of tight rock are critically needed in various emerging fields of energy...
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